TAIPEI, July 19 -- Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party on Sunday endorsed the candidacy of Hung Hsiu-chu in the Taiwan leadership election next January.

The party's representatives gathered at the party's congress in Taipei on Sunday and approved the nomination of Hung as the KMT's candidate with applause.

Addressing the congress, Hung said if she is elected, she will consolidate, deepen and promote peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait on the basis of the 1992 consensus, enable all people in Taiwan to enjoy the dividends brought by peaceful development, and create a sustainable, stable and peaceful environment for both sides.

Hung, deputy head of the island's legislature and the only contender for the KMT's primary Taiwan leadership bid, secured the party's 30-percent support threshold in public polls held in June with an average rating of 46.2 percent.

Hung is set to face Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who was nominated in April by the DPP for the 2016 election.